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Karoline Leavitt shared new behind-the-scenes shots in an Instagram post on Wednesday, Dec. 17
Leavitt appeared to share the photos in response to her viral Vanity Fair shoot
Photographer Christopher Anderson photographed Leavitt at close range, with what appears to be lip injection sites visible
Karoline Leavittshared new photos that appeared to be shared in response to her recentVanity Fairphotoshoot on Wednesday, Dec. 17.
In a newInstagrampost, Leavitt, 28, shared photos of herself adjusting her hair while preparing to be interviewed. In the photos, she wore a leopard print jacked paired with a black turtleneck and red nail polish.
"Behind the scenes before a live interview on the North Lawn of the White House, captured by@anna.money📸," Leavitt wrote.
The photos appear to be a response to Leavitt's recentVanity Fairshoot, in which she appeared alongside several members of PresidentDonald Trump's administration for the magazine's series of interviews with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.
Leavitt, who is described as the Trump administration's "mouthpiece" byVanity Fair,was photographed up-close for a portrait in which what appears to be lip filler injection sites were clearly visible. The image sparked near-immediate disbelief online, with one commenter writing, "jumpscare" and another remarking, "no trigger warning is insane" onVanity Fair'sInstagram post.
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The image was taken by photographer Christopher Anderson, who is known for his close-up portraits, which have also been published inThe New York Times,Esquire,The Wall Street Journaland other major outlets.
"Very close-up portraiture has been a fixture in a lot of my work over the years," he toldThe Independentafter theVanity Fairstory — and its accompanying images — went viral on Tuesday, Dec. 16. "Particularly, political portraits that I've done over the years. I like the idea of penetrating the theater of politics."
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Anderson also photographed Wiles, Vice PresidentJD Vance, Secretary of StateMarco Rubio, homeland security adviser and deputy chief of staff for policyStephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino, and deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs James Blair.
"I know there's a lot to be made with, 'Oh, he intentionally is trying to make people look bad' and that kind of thing — that's not the case," Anderson toldThe Independent. "If you look at my photograph work, I've done a lot of close-ups in the same style with people of all political stripes."
When PEOPLE reached out to the White House for a response to Anderson's interview, White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said it was "clear thatVanity Fairintentionally photographed Karoline and the White House staff in bizarre ways, and deliberately edited the photos, to try to demean and embarrass them."
"Karoline is a beautiful person and truly one of the most incredible people you will meet in politics, and she is doing an extraordinary job serving the American people as the White House Press Secretary," Rogers continued.
Leavitt has not publicly commented on theVanity Fairportrait yet.
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